Cyperus prolixus is a species of

sedge The Cyperaceae are a family of graminoid (grass-like), monocotyledonous flowering plants known as sedges. The family is large, with some 5,500 known species described in about 90 genera, the largest being the "true sedges" genus ''Carex'' wit ...

that is native to southern parts of

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

and

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...

parts of

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

. It is a

perennial plant A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

that grows up to 2 meters tall. The leaves are long and narrow, and the flowers are small and white. Cyperus prolixus is found in a variety of habitats, including wetlands, meadows, and roadsides. It is a common plant and is not considered to be threatened or endangered. The species was first formally described by the botanist

Carl Sigismund Kunth Carl Sigismund Kunth (18 June 1788 – 22 March 1850), also Karl Sigismund Kunth or anglicized as Charles Sigismund Kunth, was a German botanist. He is known for being one of the first to study and categorise plants from the Americas, American c ...

in 1816.

Description

Cyperus prolixus is a perennial plant with a stout, erect

rhizome In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...

. The culms are erect, trigonous, and 50-300 cm tall. The leaves are basal, V-shaped, and 40-130 cm long. The

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

is a compound

umbel In botany, an umbel is an inflorescence that consists of a number of short flower stalks (called pedicels) that spread from a common point, somewhat like umbrella ribs. The word was coined in botanical usage in the 1590s, from Latin ''umbella'' "p ...

with 9-12 rays, each ray up to 22 cm long. The spikelets are linear, 7-12 mm long, and contain 6-20 flowers.

Ecology

Cyperus prot is a

pioneer species Pioneer species are hardy species that are the first to colonize barren environments or previously biodiverse steady-state ecosystems that have been disrupted, such as by wildfire. Pioneer flora Some lichens grow on rocks without soil, so m ...

that often colonizes disturbed areas. The plant is

pollinated Pollination is the transfer of pollen from an anther of a plant to the stigma of a plant, later enabling fertilisation and the production of seeds, most often by an animal or by wind. Pollinating agents can be animals such as insects, birds, ...

by insects and the seeds are dispersed by wind. Cyperus prolixus is a food source for a variety of animals, including

waterfowl Anseriformes is an order of birds also known as waterfowl that comprises about 180 living species of birds in three families: Anhimidae (three species of screamers), Anseranatidae (the magpie goose), and Anatidae, the largest family, which in ...

, rodents, and insects.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15535506 prolixus Plants described in 1816 Taxa named by Carl Sigismund Kunth Flora of Mexico Flora of Argentina Flora of Belize Flora of Bolivia Flora of Brazil Flora of Colombia Flora of Costa Rica Flora of Ecuador Flora of Guatemala Flora of Guyana Flora of Honduras Flora of Louisiana Flora of Panama Flora of Paraguay Flora of Peru Flora of Suriname Flora of Uruguay Flora of Venezuela

Description

Ecology

See also

References